St. Joseph student wins Middleton essay contest

A St. Johns County student is one of the six Daytona district winners of the 2006 Middleton Lawn and Pest Control "What's Bugging You?" youth achievement competition.

Ashleigh Doran, St. Joseph Academy and the other recipients received $1,000 scholarships for college expenses, an Apple iPod Shuffle MP3 player and a certificate of recognition."Taking that first puff on a cigarette is a seemingly inconsequential action with which millions of Americans choose to experiment," Ashleigh wrote in her essay.

"It then, more often than not, leads to a nicotine addiction from which multitudes suffer permanent health damage. One thing that bugs me most about smoking is that it's a voluntary action."Hopefully one day we will be able to say that smoking is an extinct indulgence, but until that day comes, it is our duty to encourage others to protect their health by not smoking, for their own good and good of everyone."